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By John Raftrey And Lori McCormick

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About this blog: We are writing this blog to give practical advice to students and parents, to reflect on issues affecting college admissions, and to provide a platform for a robust community discussion on post-secondary choices. We occasionally f...  (More)

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Middle Class Scholarship for incomes up to $150,000!

Uploaded: Sep 23, 2014


(written by Lori McCormick)

Having spent a majority of my college advising time working with low-income and/or first generation students, financial aid and scholarships are a continual topic of conversation. Working with my families who fall somewhere north of this category, while may have the same questions and concerns, have a more limited pool of opportunities to apply to funding their child's education. Merit-based aid is still a solid option for students whose incomes do not meet the low-income criteria, as long as the student has an impressive GPA (hence the "merit" portion of these scholarships?).

Well, I am happy to report that this academic school year the California Student Aid Commission rolled out the Middle Class Scholarship. If anyone reading this blog has first-hand experience with how the scholarship process is working, please feel free to share in the comments section.

What is the Middle Class Scholarship and how do you qualify?

The Middle Class Scholarship is a new program beginning in the 2014-15 academic year that provides undergraduate students with family incomes up to $150,000 a scholarship to attend University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campuses. A family earning less than $100,000 per year may be eligible to receive up to 40% of systemwide tuition and fees.

To qualify, students must prove that in addition to having a 2.0 GPA, they are a U.S. citizen, are California or permanent residents, or are eligible to attend university under the California DREAM Act, and are not defaulting on loans. Scholarship amounts will increase incrementally.

Being eligible for the scholarship does not guarantee enrollment at a UC or CSU or vice-versa. You must apply to both - and, unlike the admissions application, you must apply to the Middle Class Scholarship every year.

It is too late to apply for this fall semester but students are encouraged to apply for the spring term. You can do this by applying to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. If you are under the Dream Act, apply using the California Dream Act Application. Deadline to apply is March 2, 2015. And remember - this is not a revolving scholarship; you will need to apply every year.

For more information on the Middle Class Scholarship, please visit the California Student Aid Commission's website.
Local Journalism.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Max, a resident of Portola Valley: Ladera,
on Sep 25, 2014 at 8:35 pm

This is excellent. I wish it had been available when I was a student. I was always 'too rich' to qualify for aid. I certainly did mot feel rich and neither did my parents. Consequently, it took me longer to graduate since I had to work as well as study. Also, I could not afford to attend the university for which my grades qualified me. I'm still paying back loans, which means I can't enter the housing market. Further, until I prove myself as worthy as my Ivy League contemporaries, I do not earn an income equivalent to theirs. Nevertheless, I will succeed despite my fortunate middle class background! Still, a leg up would have propelled me upward earlier.


Posted by Naleni, a resident of another community,
on Sep 26, 2014 at 9:51 am

How do we find information about this? Where do we sign up?


Posted by Sea-Seelam Reddy, a resident of College Terrace,
on Sep 27, 2014 at 1:58 am

Great article!

It is wonderful news; specially for Palo Alto parents!


Posted by Lori McCormick, a resident of Barron Park,
on Sep 28, 2014 at 6:47 am

Dear Naleni,

Thank you for reading the blog!

If you apply for Financial Aid (www.fafsa.ed.gov) the UC and California Student Aid Commission will review your financials and award you accordingly. Here is a link with more detailed information:

Web Link

Best,
Lori McCormick


Posted by GoodNews, a resident of Charleston Gardens,
on Sep 28, 2014 at 9:54 am

Great blog article. Thank you!


Posted by greener grass, a resident of Charleston Gardens,
on Sep 30, 2014 at 9:59 am

Max - you live in Ladera. Tough life.


Posted by Parent, a resident of Palo Verde,
on Sep 30, 2014 at 1:30 pm

It's great that the reality of living costs here is finally being taken into account. "Middle-income" families of $150K in many parts of the country would been viewed as high-income.

Thanks for this great information.


Posted by umam, a resident of Leland Manor/Garland Drive,
on Sep 23, 2016 at 8:12 pm

metaloid (yang menyerupai logam).
Dalam penggunaan serta pemakaiannya, logam pada umumnya tidak merupakan
Web Link
Web Link


Posted by umam, a resident of Charleston Gardens,
on Sep 23, 2016 at 8:16 pm

senyawa logam, tetapi merupakan paduan. Logam dan paduannya merupakan bahan teknik yang penting, dipakai untuk konstruksi mesin, kendaraan, jembatan, bangunan, dan pesawat terbang. Web Link Web Link


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